GPS validation for transactions

ABSTRACT

A location verification provision is implemented to determine the location of a device associated with a user at the time of an attempted transaction. The attempted transaction includes receiving user identification and/or payment information, which is associated with the device in an entry stored in a database. Location information of the device, as well as a time at each location, may also be stored in the database. To verify that the device is located at the location of the transaction, a comparison operation may be performed. If the device is located where the transaction is being processed, the transaction may be completed. Predetermined criteria may be defined to account for possible inaccuracies in location and time calculations.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/218,332, filed Dec. 12, 2018, entitled “GPS Validation forTransactions” now allowed, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/851,337, filed Dec. 21, 2017, entitled “GPSValidation for Transactions,” now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,176,473,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/472,704,filed Aug. 29, 2014, entitled “GPS Validation for Transactions,” nowissued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,858,565, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/590,996, filed Oct. 31, 2006, entitled“GPS Validation for Transactions,” now issued as U.S. Pat. No.8,825,073, the entire disclosures of which are herein incorporated byreference for all purposes. This application is also related by subjectmatter to the inventions disclosed in the following commonly assignedapplications, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated byreference herein: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/591,031 and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/591,004, each filed on Oct. 31, 2006 andeach entitled “GPS Validation for Transactions.”

BACKGROUND

A user may complete transactions, such as purchasing items and/orservices, at a retail location using a credit card or debit card orother payment form as a payment source. Unfortunately, credit and debitcards may be stolen and may be used to complete transactions by thethief and not the user who owns and is responsible for the paymentcards.

Other fraudulent operations may ensue in credit, debit, and/or otherpayment form transactions. For example, a user may complete atransaction using a credit and/or debit card but may later dispute thetransaction in an attempt to relieve the user of responsibility forpayment.

These and other fraudulent activities are clearly detrimental to theuser, the retail location where the transaction is occurring, and/or thecredit and/or debit card company. The credit card company, in oneexample, may hold the retail location responsible for payment if afraudulent user completes a transaction with a stolen credit card.Alternately, the user who did not attempt the transaction but whosepayment card was used for the transaction may be held responsible forpayment. Or the credit card company may hold neither the retail locationnor the user responsible but will then lose the payment funds.

A location verification process and system that secures a transaction byverifying the location of a user at a time of the transaction is bothadvantageous and desirable for eliminating fraudulent transactions.

SUMMARY

A location of a device is compared to a transaction location, such as aretail location, to determine if the device is at the transactionlocation when a transaction is attempted. Information related to thedevice is stored in, for example, a database or other storage componentwith user identification and/or user payment information. When a userattempts payment for a transaction, the information related to thedevice associated with the user may be obtained. The location of thedevice is determined through, for example, global positioning systeminformation. If the device is not at the transaction location, thetransaction may be stopped. Predetermined criteria may be incorporatedto account for the device being near the transaction location and forthe device being at the transaction location near the transaction time.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary and the following detailed description are betterunderstood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.Exemplary embodiments are shown in the drawings, however it isunderstood that the embodiments are not limited to the specific methodsand instrumentalities depicted therein. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing an example location verificationsystem according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing an example location verificationmodule according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of verifying alocation of a transaction according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of verifying alocation of a transaction according to another embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram representing an example computing deviceenvironment; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram representing an example networked computingenvironment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments are related to verifying a location of a transaction. Theverification may be used to confirm that a user is actually at thelocation where the transaction is taking place and may be used prior tocompleting the transaction. Additionally, the verification may be usedat a later time to serve as confirmation that the user was at thelocation at the time of the transaction.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 in which aspects of theinvention may be employed. System 100 may include device 150 associatedwith user 110, location verification module 120, device 180 associatedwith retail location 130, database 140, device 190, and globalpositioning system (GPS) 160. Retail location 130 may be any type ofentity capable of providing purchases and/or services to user 110.Retail location 130 may be a physical location, such as a departmentstore or a car dealership, or a virtual store, such as an onlineshopping center. Retail location 130 may include location verificationmodule 120. Location verification module 120 may operate to verify alocation of user 110 to secure a transaction. Location verificationmodule 120 may employ device 150 associated with user 110, device 190,and GPS 160 to assist in a location verification process. Device 180associated with retail location 130 may be a wired or wireless phone, acomputer, a facsimile machine, a personal digital assistant (PDA), andthe like, for example. Device 180 may be utilized by retail location forreceiving information from and providing information to locationverification module 120.

User 110, verification module 120, retail location 130, database 140,device 150, GPS 160, device 180, and device 190 may communicate with oneanother by way of communication network 170, which may include anintranet, the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network(WAN), a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cellular network, avoice over internet protocol (VoIP) network, and the like, for example.User 110 may communicate with location verification module 120 andretail location 130 physically, through device 150, through device 190,or a combination of physically and through device 150 and device 190,for example. Device 150 and device 190 may be a wired or wireless phone,a computer, a facsimile machine, a personal digital assistant (PDA), andthe like, for example. Device 150 and device 190 may include a receiver,such as, for example, a GPS receiver for receiving GPS information, suchas coordinate and time information, related to device 150 and device190. Device 150 and device 190 are not limited to the same type ofdevice. For example, device 150 may be a wireless phone while device 190may be a computer. Furthermore, device 190 may not be associated withuser 110 but may instead be a public computer, for example, which may beaccessed by various consumers at a cyber store.

User 110 may attempt to complete a transaction at retail location 130. Atransaction may be performed online over communication network 170, forexample. For a virtual or online transaction, device 190 may be employedby user 110. For example, user 110 may access an internet site dedicatedto retail location 130 through device 190. Alternatively, user 110 mayphysically visit or otherwise communicate with retail location 130 inorder to complete the transaction. The transaction process may also be acombination of an online process and/or a personal visit and/or othercommunication such as a telephone call or written correspondence, forexample. The transaction process may include payment, in which user 110is required to provide credit card, debit card, check, and/orelectronic-check (e-check) information, for example. Other informationmay also be required at the discretion of retail location 130, a creditcard company, a debit card company, a check provider, and/or an e-checkprovider.

The transaction process may include a location verification provision.The location verification provision may be employed by retail location130 through location verification module 120, which may employ GPS 160,to ensure that user 110, who is attempting to complete a transaction atretail location 130, is located at retail location 130. If retaillocation 130 is an online store, the location verification provision maybe employed to ensure that user 110, who is employing device 190 toattempt a transaction through the online store, is located with device190.

Database 140 may be, for example, a database or other storage module,device, or memory, for example. Database 140 may operate to storemultiple user identifiers, where each user identifier is associated witha user. A user identifier may include information related to a paymentform of a user, identification related to the user, and a deviceassociated with the user. Each user identifier may comprise, forexample, a randomly generated character and/or number string. Forexample, a user identifier associated with user 110 may include one ormore credit and/or debit cards owned by user 110, an identificationgiven to user 110 which may be, for example, a randomly generatedcharacter and/or number string or a name of user 110, and informationrelated to device 150 associated with user 110, such as, for example, amobile phone number. Database 140 may be maintained by a centralauthority, one or more credit card companies, or one or more banks (notshown), for example.

In addition to storing user identifiers, database 140 may further storemultiple transaction identifiers, each associated with a transaction. Atransaction identifier may be a character and/or number string assignedto a transaction and may include details related to the transaction,such as, for example, the location, date, time, and/or transactionamount of the transaction. Furthermore, a transaction identifier may beassociated with a user identifier in database 140. For example, if user110 completes multiple transactions, each assigned a transactionidentifier, each transaction identifier may be linked to or stored withthe user identifier of user 110.

GPS 160 may assist in the determination of a location of device 150associated with user 110. GPS 160 may include multiple satellites thatorbit above the Earth. The GPS satellites may each contain a computer,an atomic clock, and a radio, operating to continuously broadcasts itschanging position and time. A GPS receiver, such as the receiver indevice 150, may contain a computer or processing unit operating tocalculate the position of the GPS receiver through receipt of timesignals. The position may be calculated from three satellites through aprocess called trilateration or through a process called triangulation,for example. The position may be provided in the form of a longitude andlatitude. The GPS receiver may further calculate altitude, speed oftravel, and direction of travel.

Moreover, database 140 may also store GPS information related tomultiple users, such as user 110. For example, as GPS 160 maycontinuously detect the location of user 110 (through device 150associated with user 110), the location of user 110, along with thetime, may be stored in database 140. To conserve storage space indatabase 140, the GPS information may be stored at a predetermined timeinterval and may be deleted after a predetermined time period haselapsed. For example, GPS 160 may provide the GPS information related touser 110 to database 140 every 20 minutes. Database 140 may delete theGPS information related to user 110 after the information has beenstored for 30 days. The authority maintaining database 140 may decidethe factors (e.g. which consumers to include, when to perform thedeletions) concerning database 140, for example.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example verification module120. Verification module 120 may include several means, devices,software, and/or hardware for performing functions, including GPScommunication module 210, location determination module 220, usercommunication module 230, retail location communication module 240, andstorage communication module 250. Verification module 120 may operate toverify a location of user 110 at the time of a transaction. Theverification of the location of user 110 may assist retail location 130in confirming that user 110 is the consumer attempting to complete atransaction at retail location 130. Moreover, the verification of theuser 110 may provide assurance to user 110 that another consumer may notuse a credit, debit, and/or other payment card and/or forms associatedwith user 110.

A location verification provision may be initiated by retail location130 for every transaction conducted at retail location. Alternately,retail location 130 may choose to implement the provision based onpredetermined criteria. For example, retail location 130 may initiatethe provision if an attempted transaction exceeds a predeterminedtransaction amount. Or the provision may be initiated randomly or when aconsumer who has not previously completed transactions at retaillocation 130 attempts to do so. The initiation may be performed byoperating device 180 and may include, for example, sending an emailmessage or phone call to location verification module 120. Theinitiation indication may be received by retail location communicationmodule 240.

Alternately, the location verification provision may be automaticallyimplemented by location verification module 120 based on predeterminedcriteria. The automatic provision may occur by receiving informationrelated to each transaction at retail location 130, for example. Afterthe information is received, by, for example, retail communicationmodule 240, location verification module 120 may analyze the transactiondetails to determine if the predetermined criteria are met.

Upon indication to initiate a location verification of user 110attempting to complete a transaction at retail location 130, locationverification module 120 may be responsible for the locationverification. Retail location communication module 240 may receive alocation verification initiation indication from retail location 130.The indication from retail location 130 may include a time at which thetransaction is attempted. Module 240 may provide the indication tostorage communication module 250, which may operate to identify a useridentifier associated with user 110. Storage communication module 250may communicate with database 140 and may provide, for example, a creditcard number or a checking account routing number as provided by user110. Database 140 may use the credit card number or routing number toidentify the user identifier associated with user 110. An identificationof user 110 as well as information related to device 150 may be storedwith the credit card number or routing number as the user identifier.The user identifier may be provided by database 140 to storagecommunication component 250.

Storage communication component 250, upon receipt of the user identifierassociated with user 110, may provide the information related to device150, as presented in the user identifier, as well as the time at whichthe transaction is attempted, to GPS communication module 210. GPScommunication module 210 may operate to obtain the GPS information ofdevice 150 at the attempted transaction time. GPS information mayinclude the longitude and latitude coordinates, as well as the time, ofdevice 150. The desired GPS information may be obtained from the GPSinformation stored in database 140 and may be provided to locationdetermination module 220 from GPS communication module 210.

Location determination module 220 may operate to, from the coordinateinformation, determine the location of device 150. The location may bein the form of an address, with a street number, city, and state, forexample. Location determination module 220 may provide the determinedlocation to retail location communication module 240 for furthercommunication with retail location 130.

Upon receipt of the location of device 150 from retail locationcommunication module 240, retail location 130 may decide whether tocomplete the transaction being attempted by user 110. For example, ifthe location of device 150, as received from retail locationcommunication module 240, is the same as the location of retail location130, the transaction may be completed. The same location of device 150and retail location 130 may serve as indication to retail location 130that user 110, who owns the credit, debit, and/or other payment cardassociated with device 150, is in retail location 130 and that afraudulent consumer is not attempting to use the payment card of user110. On the other hand, if the location of device 150 is different thanthe location of retail location 130, retail location 130 may decide tocancel the transaction before its completion. A varying location mayserve as an indication that user 110 is not actually at retail location130, as is commonly assumed.

User communication module 230, upon determination of the location ofdevice 150 by location determination component 220, may operate tocontact device 150. User 110, upon operation of device 150, may beinformed of the attempted transaction and may be prompted to indicate ifthe transaction should be completed. Such an operation may serve as anadditional security feature. For example, an operator at retail location130 may incorrectly determine that the location of device 150 is thesame as the location of retail location 130. Moreover, user 110 mayprovide a credit card owned by user 110 to a trusted consumer, such as afriend or family member, to complete a transaction. If device 150associated with user 110 is with user 110, location determination module220 will accordingly determine different locations. However, if user 110is contacted by user communication module 230, the transaction mayproceed as desired by user 110.

Alternate to retail location communication module 240 providing thelocation of device 150, location determination module 220 may furtheroperate to determine if the location of device 150 is the same as thelocation of retail location 130. The location of retail location 130, inthe form of an address or GPS coordinates or another form, may be storedin database 140. If retail location 130 is an internet store beingaccessed through device 190, the location of device 190 may be requiredfor location verification. If device 190 is a fixed computer with aknown location, for example a computer at a cyber store, the location ofdevice 190 in the form of an address or GPS coordinates or another formmay be stored in database 140. Alternately, if device 190 is a mobiledevice, such as a laptop which may change locations, GPS 160 maydetermine the location of device 190. The GPS information of device 190may be stored in database 140 and may be used by location verificationmodule 120 for the location verification process.

Location determination module 220 may perform a comparison operationbetween the determined location of device 150 and the known location ofretail location 130 or between the determined location of device 150 andthe determined location of device 190. The result of the comparisonoperation may be provided to retail location 130 through retail locationcommunication module 240. Retail location 130 may receive the resultsthrough a phone call, text message, email, or other message throughdevice 180 associated with retail location 130. The result may indicate,for example and not limitation, a same location at a same time, a samelocation at a different time, a different location at a same time, or adifferent location at a different time. Retail location 130 may proceedbased upon predetermined rules. For example, if the results indicatethat device 150 was at retail location 130 ten minutes prior to theattempted transaction, retail location 130 may assume that the locationof device 150 was updated in database 140 before the transactionoccurred.

If device 190 is used as a virtual store of retail location 130, theresults of the comparison operation may be provided to an administratorof the virtual store through retail location communication module 240.The results may be received through a phone call, text message, email,or other message through device 190.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of verifying alocation of a transaction according to an embodiment. A consumer may beattempting to purchase goods and/or services as a transaction at retaillocation 130 physically or through device 190. The transaction mayinclude payment with a payment card such as a credit and/or debit card.Other payment forms may also be used. Retail location 130 may desire toverify the location of user 110, who is associated with the payment formand device 150. If the location of user 110 associated with the paymentform is found to be at a location other than the transaction location(the location of retail location 130 or the location of device 190),then retail location 130 or an administrator of device 190 (which mayalso be retail location 130) may stop the transaction from completingbecause the consumer attempting the transaction is not associated withthe payment form. If, on the other hand, the consumer associated withthe payment form (user 110) is at the transaction location, retaillocation 130 may proceed with the transaction.

Referring to FIG. 3, at 310 information related to user 110 is received.User 110 may provide retail location 130 with a payment form, such as acredit card or e-check. The payment form information may be associatedwith user 110 in a user identifier entry stored in database 140. Retaillocation 130, wishing to verify the location of user 110 associated withthe credit card, may provide the payment form information to locationverification module 120 through, for example, device 180. Receipt of theinformation may serve as an indication to location verification module120 to perform a location verification using the provided information.Alternately, retail location 130 may provide an identification given touser 110 to location verification module 120. The identification, whichmay be a randomly generated character and/or number string or a name ofuser 110, and/or the payment form information may both be included inthe user identifier entry associated with user 110. Alternately,location verification module 120 may automatically receive the paymentform information and/or user identification.

At 320, information related to device 150 associated with the useridentifier is determined. Retail communication module 240 maycommunicate the payment form information and/or the user identificationinformation to storage communication module 250. Storage communicationmodule 250 may access database 140. The user identification of user 110,the payment form of user 110, and/or device 150 associated with user 110may be linked together in the user identifier entry stored in database140. Storage communication module 250 may then accordingly determineinformation related to device 150 of user 110 whose card is presentedfor the transaction from the user identifier entry.

At 330, the information related to device 150 is received by, forexample, GPS communication module 210. At 340, GPS information relatedto device 150 is received. The information related to device 150 may beprovided to storage communication module 250 to search database 140.Database 140 may store GPS information related to device 150. The GPSinformation may be obtained by storage communication module 250, whichmay provide the GPS information to location determination module 220.

At 350, the location of device 150 is determined. The determination maybe computed by, for example, location determination module 220 throughthe GPS information. For example, based upon the GPS information, astreet address or other location may be computed. At 360, GPSinformation of retail location 130 or device 190 is obtained. Thisinformation may also be stored in database 140 and obtained by storagecommunication module 250. Alternately, this information may be obtainedby GPS 160 if device 190 is a mobile or wireless device, stored indatabase 140, and obtained by storage communication module 250.

At 370, the determined location of device 150 is compared to the knownlocation of retail location 130 or to the known or determined locationof device 190. The comparison operation may be performed by locationdetermination module 220.

Optionally at 380, if the comparison operation at 370 results in a samelocation, a determination may be made as to whether device 150 is atretail location 130 or with device 190 at the time the transaction isattempted. This subsequent determination may also be computed bylocation determination module 220. This determination may be madethrough analysis of the GPS information, which may also includeinformation related to the time at each location of device 150.

At 390, following confirmation of the same location at 370 and/or theoptional confirmation of same time at 380, the location is verified.Thus, it is confirmed that device 150 is located at retail location 130or with device 190 for the attempted transaction. This confirmation,provided by retail communication module 240 to retail location 130through device 180 or to an administrator of device 190, may indicatethat fraudulent use is not being attempted.

At 392, the transaction may accordingly be completed by retail location130. At 394, the location verification information is stored in database140 for possible later use. If user 110, for example, attempts todispute the transaction, retail location 130 may obtain the storedlocation verification information as proof that user 110 was at retaillocation 130 or with device 190 at the time of the transaction.

At 396, following determination that the location and/or the time arenot the same at 370 and 380, the transaction is cancelled. A varyinglocation may indicate that device 150, and hence user 110, is not theconsumer attempting to complete the transaction at retail location 130or with device 190. Similarly, a varying time may indicate that device150, and hence user 110, was not at retail location 130 or with device190 at the time that the transaction was attempted.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example method of a transactionprocess according to an additional embodiment. At 410, a request for alocation of device 150 at a time of an attempted transaction isreceived. The request may be made by retail location 130 through device180 or by an administrator of device 190 to location verification module120. The request may include a time and a user identifier thatassociates user 110 with device 150. The user identifier may be obtainedthrough database 140, which may store multiple user identifiers thateach associate a user with a device and with a payment form, such as acredit card, debit card, or checking account.

At 420, database 140 is accessed to obtain the requested location ofdevice 150 at the time of the attempted transaction. GPS 160 may providethe location of device 150 at predetermined intervals to database 140.Database 140 may be searched by utilizing the user identifier associatedwith device 150. The search results may be obtained by storagecommunication module 250, which may be responsible for handling andtransmitting database search results.

At 430, the location of device 150 is determined. The determination maybe computed by location determination module 220 upon receipt oflocation information from storage communication module 250.

At 440, predetermined criteria are obtained by, for example, thelocation determination module 220. The predetermined criteria may beprovided by retail location 130 or an administrator of device 190 or maybe stored in database 140. To verify the location of device 150,predetermined criteria may need to be satisfied. The predeterminedcriteria may dictate that to complete the transaction by verifying thelocation of device 150, the location of device 150 must exactly matchthe location of retail location 130 or device 190. The predeterminedcriteria may also dictate that device 150 must be at retail location 130or with device 190 at the exact time of the attempted transaction.Alternately, the predetermined criteria may be flexible regarding thelocation and/or time to complete the transaction. For example, thedetermined location of device 150 may be within a predetermined distanceof retail location 130 or device 190 to account for possibleinaccuracies in the determined location. Alternately or additionally,device 150 may be at retail location 130 or with device 190 within apredetermined time period of the attempted transaction time. Othercriteria are also possible. The criteria may be the same for eachconsumer or may vary as decided by retail location 130.

At 450, a determination is made as to whether the predetermined criteriaare satisfied. Location determination module 220 may compare thepredetermined criteria with the determined location and time todetermine if the transaction should proceed.

At 460, if the criteria are satisfied, the transaction may be completed.The satisfaction of the criteria may serve as an indication that device150 is at retail location 130 or with device 190 at the transactiontime, as dictated by the predetermined criteria. At 470, if the criteriaare not satisfied, the transaction is stopped. This may serve as anindication that device 150 is not verified as being at retail location130 or with device 190 at the time of the attempted transaction asdefined by the predetermined criteria.

Referring to FIG. 5, shown is a block diagram representing an exemplarycomputing device suitable for use in conjunction with implementing thesystems and methods described above. For example, the computerexecutable instructions that carry out the processes and methodsdescribed herein may reside and/or be executed in such a computingenvironment as shown in FIG. 5. The computing system environment 720 isonly one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intendedto suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of thepresently disclosed subject matter. Neither should the computingenvironment 720 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirementrelating to any one or combination of components illustrated in theexemplary operating environment 720.

Aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter are operational withnumerous other general purpose or special purpose computing systemenvironments or configurations. Examples of well known computingsystems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable foruse with the this subject matter include, but are not limited to,personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices,multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes,programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframecomputers, distributed computing environments that include any of theabove systems or devices, and the like.

Aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter may be implemented inthe general context of computer-executable instructions, such as programmodules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modulesinclude routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc.that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter may also bepracticed in distributed computing environments where tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules may be located in both local and remote computer storage mediaincluding memory storage devices.

An exemplary system for implementing aspects of the presently disclosedsubject matter includes a general purpose computing device in the formof a computer 741. Components of computer 741 may include, but are notlimited to, a processing unit 759, a system memory 722, and a system bus721 that couples various system components including the system memoryto the processing unit 759. The system bus 721 may be any of severaltypes of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, aperipheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of busarchitectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architecturesinclude Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro ChannelArchitecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video ElectronicsStandards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral ComponentInterconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus.

Computer 741 typically includes a variety of computer readable media.Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby computer 741 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media,removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatileand nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can accessed by computer 741.

The system memory 722 includes computer storage media in the form ofvolatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 723and random access memory (RAM) 760. A basic input/output system 724(BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer informationbetween elements within computer 741, such as during start-up, istypically stored in ROM 723. RAM 760 typically contains data and/orprogram modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presentlybeing operated on by processing unit 759. By way of example, and notlimitation, FIG. 5 illustrates operating system 725, applicationprograms 726, other program modules 727, and program data 728.

The computer 741 may also include other removable/non-removable,volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only,FIG. 5 illustrates a hard disk drive 738 that reads from or writes tonon-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 739that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 754,and an optical disk drive 740 that reads from or writes to a removable,nonvolatile optical disk 753 such as a CD ROM or other optical media.Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storagemedia that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include,but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards,digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solidstate ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 738 is typically connectedto the system bus 721 through an non-removable memory interface such asinterface 734, and magnetic disk drive 739 and optical disk drive 740are typically connected to the system bus 721 by a removable memoryinterface, such as interface 735.

The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed aboveand illustrated in FIG. 5, provide storage of computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputer 741. In FIG. 5, for example, hard disk drive 738 is illustratedas storing operating system 758, application programs 757, other programmodules 756, and program data 755. Note that these components can eitherbe the same as or different from operating system 725, applicationprograms 726, other program modules 727, and program data 728. Operatingsystem 758, application programs 757, other program modules 756, andprogram data 755 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, ata minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter commands andinformation into the computer 741 through input devices such as akeyboard 751 and pointing device 752, commonly referred to as a mouse,trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include amicrophone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like.These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit759 through a user input interface 736 that is coupled to the systembus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such asa parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor742 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus721 via an interface, such as a video interface 732. In addition to themonitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices suchas speakers 744 and printer 743, which may be connected through a outputperipheral interface 733.

The computer 741 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer746. The remote computer 746 may be a personal computer, a server, arouter, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, andtypically includes many or all of the elements described above relativeto the computer 741, although only a memory storage device 747 has beenillustrated in FIG. 5. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 5include a local area network (LAN) 745 and a wide area network (WAN)749, but may also include other networks. Such networking environmentsare commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranetsand the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 741 is connectedto the LAN 745 through a network interface or adapter 737. When used ina WAN networking environment, the computer 741 typically includes amodem 750 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN749, such as the Internet. The modem 750, which may be internal orexternal, may be connected to the system bus 721 via the user inputinterface 736, or other appropriate mechanism. In a networkedenvironment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 741, orportions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. Byway of example, and not limitation, FIG. 5 illustrates remoteapplication programs 748 as residing on memory device 747. It will beappreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and othermeans of establishing a communications link between the computers may beused.

It should be understood that the various techniques described herein maybe implemented in connection with hardware or software or, whereappropriate, with a combination of both. Thus, the methods and apparatusof the presently disclosed subject matter, or certain aspects orportions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions)embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, harddrives, or any other machine-readable storage medium wherein, when theprogram code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as acomputer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the presentlydisclosed subject matter. In the case of program code execution onprogrammable computers, the computing device generally includes aprocessor, a storage medium readable by the processor (includingvolatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least oneinput device, and at least one output device. One or more programs thatmay implement or utilize the processes described in connection with thepresently disclosed subject matter, e.g., through the use of an API,reusable controls, or the like. Such programs are preferably implementedin a high level procedural or object oriented programming language tocommunicate with a computer system. However, the program(s) can beimplemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case,the language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combinedwith hardware implementations.

Although exemplary embodiments may refer to utilizing aspects of thepresently disclosed subject matter in the context of one or morestand-alone computer systems, the said subject matter is not so limited,but rather may be implemented in connection with any computingenvironment, such as a network or distributed computing environment.Still further, aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter may beimplemented in or across a plurality of processing chips or devices, andstorage may similarly be effected across a plurality of devices. Suchdevices might include personal computers, network servers, handhelddevices, supercomputers, or computers integrated into other systems.

In light of the diverse computing environments that may be builtaccording to the general framework provided in FIG. 5, the systems andmethods provided herein cannot be construed as limited in any way to aparticular computing architecture. Instead, the presently disclosedsubject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment, butrather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with theappended claims.

Referring next to FIG. 6, shown is an exemplary networked computingenvironment in which many computerized processes may be implemented toperform the processes described above. One of ordinary skill in the artcan appreciate that networks can connect any computer or other client orserver device, or in a distributed computing environment. In thisregard, any computer system or environment having any number ofprocessing, memory, or storage units, and any number of applications andprocesses occurring simultaneously is considered suitable for use inconnection with the systems and methods provided.

Distributed computing provides sharing of computer resources andservices by exchange between computing devices and systems. Theseresources and services include the exchange of information, cachestorage and disk storage for files. Distributed computing takesadvantage of network connectivity, allowing clients to leverage theircollective power to benefit the entire enterprise. In this regard, avariety of devices may have applications, objects or resources that mayimplicate the processes described herein.

FIG. 6 provides a schematic diagram of an exemplary networked ordistributed computing environment. The environment comprises computingdevices 871, 872, 876, and 877 as well as objects 873, 874, and 875, anddatabase 878. Each of these entities 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877,and 878 may comprise or make use of programs, methods, data stores,programmable logic, etc. The entities 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877,and 878 may span portions of the same or different devices such as PDAs,audio/video devices, MP3 players, personal computers, etc. Each entity871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, and 878 can communicate with anotherentity 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, and 878 by way of thecommunications network 870. In this regard, any entity may beresponsible for the maintenance and updating of a database 878 or otherstorage element.

This network 870 may itself comprise other computing entities thatprovide services to the system of FIG. 6, and may itself representmultiple interconnected networks. In accordance with an aspect of thepresently disclosed subject matter, each entity 871, 872, 873, 874, 875,876, 877, and 878 may contain discrete functional program modules thatmight make use of an API, or other object, software, firmware and/orhardware, to request services of one or more of the other entities 871,872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, and 878.

It can also be appreciated that an object, such as 875, may be hosted onanother computing device 876. Thus, although the physical environmentdepicted may show the connected devices as computers, such illustrationis merely exemplary and the physical environment may alternatively bedepicted or described comprising various digital devices such as PDAs,televisions, MP3 players, etc., software objects such as interfaces, COMobjects and the like.

There are a variety of systems, components, and network configurationsthat support distributed computing environments. For example, computingsystems may be connected together by wired or wireless systems, by localnetworks or widely distributed networks. Currently, many networks arecoupled to the Internet, which provides an infrastructure for widelydistributed computing and encompasses many different networks. Any suchinfrastructures, whether coupled to the Internet or not, may be used inconjunction with the systems and methods provided.

A network infrastructure may enable a host of network topologies such asclient/server, peer-to-peer, or hybrid architectures. The “client” is amember of a class or group that uses the services of another class orgroup to which it is not related. In computing, a client is a process,i.e., roughly a set of instructions or tasks, that requests a serviceprovided by another program. The client process utilizes the requestedservice without having to “know” any working details about the otherprogram or the service itself. In a client/server architecture,particularly a networked system, a client is usually a computer thataccesses shared network resources provided by another computer, e.g., aserver. In the example of FIG. 6, any entity 871, 872, 873, 874, 875,876, 877, and 878 can be considered a client, a server, or both,depending on the circumstances.

A server is typically, though not necessarily, a remote computer systemaccessible over a remote or local network, such as the Internet. Theclient process may be active in a first computer system, and the serverprocess may be active in a second computer system, communicating withone another over a communications medium, thus providing distributedfunctionality and allowing multiple clients to take advantage of theinformation-gathering capabilities of the server. Any software objectsmay be distributed across multiple computing devices or objects.

Client(s) and server(s) communicate with one another utilizing thefunctionality provided by protocol layer(s). For example, HyperTextTransfer Protocol (HTTP) is a common protocol that is used inconjunction with the World Wide Web (WWW), or “the Web.” Typically, acomputer network address such as an Internet Protocol (IP) address orother reference such as a Universal Resource Locator (URL) can be usedto identify the server or client computers to each other. The networkaddress can be referred to as a URL address. Communication can beprovided over a communications medium, e.g., client(s) and server(s) maybe coupled to one another via TCP/IP connection(s) for high-capacitycommunication.

In light of the diverse computing environments that may be builtaccording to the general framework provided in FIG. 6 and the furtherdiversification that can occur in computing in a network environmentsuch as that of FIG. 6, the systems and methods provided herein cannotbe construed as limited in any way to a particular computingarchitecture or operating system. Instead, the presently disclosedsubject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment, butrather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with theappended claims.

As mentioned above, while exemplary embodiments of the invention havebeen described in connection with various computing devices, theunderlying concepts may be applied to any computing device or system.Thus, the methods and systems of the present invention may be applied toa variety of applications and devices. While exemplary names andexamples are chosen herein as representative of various choices, thesenames and examples are not intended to be limiting. One of ordinaryskill in the art will appreciate that there are numerous ways ofproviding hardware and software implementations that achieves the same,similar or equivalent systems and methods achieved by the invention.

As is apparent from the above, all or portions of the various systems,methods, and aspects of the present invention may be embodied inhardware, software, or a combination of both.

It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely forthe purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limitingof the present invention. While the invention has been described withreference to various embodiments, it is understood that the words whichhave been used herein are words of description and illustration, ratherthan words of limitation. Further, although the invention has beendescribed herein with reference to particular means, materials andembodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to theparticulars disclosed herein; rather, the invention extends to allfunctionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are withinthe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving transactiondetails of a transaction, the transaction initiated by a retaillocation; in response to one or more transaction details meeting one ormore predetermined transaction verification criteria: obtaining alocation of a device associated with a user at a time of thetransaction; and verifying, using a processor associated with a locationdetermination module at the retail location, that the location of thedevice meets predetermined location criteria, wherein verifying that thelocation of the device meets predetermined location criteria includesdetermining whether a time associated with the location of the device iswithin a predetermined time period of the time of the transaction. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises accessing adatabase to obtain the location of the device provided to the databaseby a global positioning system (GPS) by searching the database for auser identifier associating the user with the device.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: notifying the retail location of thelocation of the device at the time of the transaction; and completingthe transaction in response to the predetermined location criteria beingsatisfied.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predeterminedtransaction verification criteria includes a transaction amount for thetransaction exceeding a predetermined transaction amount.
 5. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: determining that the time associatedwith the location of the device is not within the predetermined timeperiod of the time of the transaction.
 6. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising: in response to the time associated with the location of thedevice not being within the predetermined time period of the time of thetransaction, sending, to the device, a message requesting authorizationof the transaction.
 7. One or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia storing instructions which, when executed by at least oneprocessor, cause the at least one processor to perform operationscomprising: receiving transaction details of a transaction, thetransaction initiated by a retail location; in response to one or moretransaction details meeting one or more predetermined transactionverification criteria: obtaining a location of a device associated witha user at a time of the transaction; and verifying, using a processorassociated with a location determination module at the retail location,that the location of the device meets predetermined location criteria,wherein verifying that the location of the device meets predeterminedlocation criteria includes determining whether a time associated withthe location of the device is within a predetermined time period of thetime of the transaction.
 8. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the operations furthercomprise accessing a database to obtain the location of the deviceprovided to the database by a global positioning system (GPS) bysearching the database for a user identifier associating the user withthe device.
 9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media ofclaim 7, wherein the operations further comprise: notifying the retaillocation of the location of the device at the time of the transaction;and completing the transaction in response to the predetermined locationcriteria being satisfied.
 10. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the predeterminedtransaction verification criteria includes a transaction amount for thetransaction exceeding a predetermined transaction amount.
 11. The one ormore non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein theoperations further comprise: determining that the time associated withthe location of the device is not within the predetermined time periodof the time of the transaction.
 12. The one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of claim 11, wherein the operations furthercomprise: in response to the time associated with the location of thedevice not being within the predetermined time period of the time of thetransaction, stopping the transaction.
 13. The one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein theoperations further comprise: in response to the time associated with thelocation of the device not being within the predetermined time period ofthe time of the transaction, sending, to the device, a messagerequesting authorization of the transaction.
 14. A system comprising: atleast one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the atleast one processor, the memory storing instructions which, whenexecuted by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processorto perform operations comprising: receiving transaction details of atransaction, the transaction initiated by a retail location; in responseto one or more transaction details meeting one or more predeterminedtransaction verification criteria: obtaining a location of a deviceassociated with a user at a time of the transaction; and verifying,using a processor associated with a location determination module at theretail location, that the location of the device meets predeterminedlocation criteria, wherein verifying that the location of the devicemeets predetermined location criteria includes determining whether atime associated with the location of the device is within apredetermined time period of the time of the transaction.
 15. The systemof claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise accessing adatabase to obtain the location of the device provided to the databaseby a global positioning system (GPS) by searching the database for auser identifier associating the user with the device.
 16. The system ofclaim 14, wherein the operations further comprise: notifying the retaillocation of the location of the device at the time of the transaction;and completing the transaction in response to the predetermined locationcriteria being satisfied.
 17. The system of claim 14, wherein thepredetermined transaction verification criteria includes a transactionamount for the transaction exceeding a predetermined transaction amount.18. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:determining that the time associated with the location of the device isnot within the predetermined time period of the time of the transaction;and in response to the time associated with the location of the devicenot being within the predetermined time period of the time of thetransaction, stopping the transaction.
 19. The system of claim 14,wherein the operations further comprise: determining that the timeassociated with the location of the device is not within thepredetermined time period of the time of the transaction; and inresponse to the time associated with the location of the device notbeing within the predetermined time period of the time of thetransaction, sending, to the device, a message requesting authorizationof the transaction.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein the predeterminedtransaction verification criteria include determining whether the userhas performed a previous transaction at the retail location prior to thetransaction.